Switch-worker



(No Model.)

H. G. HEITMEYER.

SWITCH WORKER.

l No. 439,506. Patented 0013.28, 1890.

A TTOHNE YS UNITED STATES HENRY Gr. IIEITMEYER,

PATENT OEEICE.

OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SWITCH-WORKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,506, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed June 19, 1890. Serial No. 356,158. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY G. HEirMEYER, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Switch-I'Vorker, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Myinvention relates to an improvement in switch-workers, and has for its object to provide a simple and durable device adapted for attachment to railway-cars and similar vehicles, and so constructed that the driver, conductor, or other designated person inay, without interfering with his regular duties and with one hand, expeditiously open or close a switch in the path of the vehicle, and wherein, also, as soon as the device is released it will automatically leave the switch and take a position some distance above the track.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an ond view of a car, the platform being in section, illustrating the application of the device. Fig. 2 is afront elevation of the device detached from the car and partially in section, the switch-rod bein g shown in its elevated position. Fig. 3 is a similar View, the switch-rod being shown as forced downward to open the swit-cli. Fig. 4 isa side elevation, partly in section, the said view also illustrating a portion of the housing of the device. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line o: :c of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows 1. Fig. (j is a similar view upon lthe saine line, looking in the opposite direction, as indicated by the arrows 2. Fig. 7 is a transverse section through the hub of the crownwheel; and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the shell, illustrating the position of the tripplate thereon and disclosing the rack of the sliding bar.

The body of the device consists of a shell 10, of greater length than width, which shell may be of any desired cross-sectional contour,

preferably polygonal, and a bar 1l, held to slide in the shell, which bar is ordinarily provided with a cent-ral bore 13, in which bore a switch-rod 14 is held to slide. The bar 11 is ordinarily made of greater length than the shelland normally extends above the upper portion of the latter, and the switch-rod 14: projects beyond the top of the bar and below the lower extremity of the shell. The switchrod 14 terminates at its lower extremity in a socket 15, in which socket a tool A, adapted to act directly upon the switch, is inserted. This tool ordinarily consists of a shank 1G and a head 17 at the lower end of the shank, which head is beveled downwardly upon one side, as is best illustrated at a in Fig. 2; but instead of the head 17 being foi-ined as illustrated it may partake of the character of a colter or friction wheel, in which event the wheel is beveled upon each side at the periphery.

The switch-rod 1l is capable of turning in the bore of the bar l1, but is incapable of a vertical movement, the bai' and rod being so attached that the rod may turn, but when moved up or down the bar is forced to inove with it.

Upon the upper end of the switch-rod 1i a bevel-gear 18 is securely fastened. From the front of the bar 11, above the upper end of the shell, a stud 19 is horizontally projected, and upon the said stud the hub of a crownwheel 2O is held to revolve. To the upper face of the crowirwheel hub a hand-lever 21 is securely fastened, and the hub between the lever and the crown-wheel is seinicircular, disclosing the stud 19, while upon the exposed portion of the stud a pin 22 is attached, whereby the revolution `of the crown-wheel is limited, the said wheel being only able to make a partial revolution upon the stud, as is shown in Figs. l and 7, the sectional portion of the hub being indicated by the letter a.

The crown-wheel 20 meshes with a gear 23, held to turn upon a stud 2l, projected from one side of the bar 11 near its upper end, and upon the inner face of the gear-wheel a bevelgear 25 is formed, which bevel-gear meshes with the bevel-gear 1S of the switch-rod. The crown-wheel upon its outer face near the pe- IOO riphery is provided with two pins 26 and 27, the location of which pins is fully illustrat-ed in Figs. 2 and 7.

Upon the front of the shell l0, a slight distance below the upper end thereof, a tripplate 28 is secured, which plate extends laterally outward from Ythe shell and vertically upward, thevertical member being bit' u rcated, as shown in Fig. 2.

From one side of the shell a bracket-plate 29 is laterally projected, and to the front of the shell a second and smaller plate 30 is secured, which latter plate extends parallel and in the same direction as the bracket-plate 29. Between theY two plates a spindle 3l is journaled, the outer end of which spindle has secured thereto a hand-lever 32. Upon the spindle a mutilated gear-wheel 33 is securely fastened, and the spindle has likewise attached thereto one end of a spring 34, the other end of the spring being attached in any suitable manner to the body-plate of the shell.

The mutilated gear 33 meshes with a racksurface 35,7formed upon one side of the vcrtically-movable bar ll, and when the lever 32 is manipulated to force the bar l1 downward the spring 34 is wound up, and when the lever 32 is released the spring acts to automatically carry the bar l1 upward and consequently the attached switch-rod; but the spring is not suffered to entirely unwind, as a pin 36 or equivalent device is attached to the upper portion of the mutilated gear at or YVnear the upper last tooth, which pin is forced by the spring to an engagement with a stoplug 37, formed upon the bracket-plate 29, as shown in Fig. 2.

A device is preferably attached to the end of the car at each side of the door, as shown in Fig. l, and between the outer wall of the end and the inner wall. The levers extend beyond the outer wall of the car, and slots 38 are formed in the outer wall to admit of the vertical movement of the bar ll.

Y In operation, if the switch is to be turned to the right the upper lever 2l is carried in that direction, whereupon through the medium oi' the gearing at the upper end of the device the inclined surface of the head of the tool A is brought to the position illustrated in Fig. 2, and the crown-wheel is so turned that the striking-pin 26 thereon is held in position to engage with the trip-plate 28 when `the switch-rod is carried downward. The head of the switching-tool having been thus located before the switch is reached, when it is desired to manipulate the switch the driver has simply to force the lever 32 over in the direction ot' one side of the device, as disclosed in Fig. 3, whereupon the bar l1 and the attached switch-rod are carried downward and the head of the switching-tool is forced between the switch and the main track, while at this instant the pin 26 of the crowngeark `is brought into engagement with the trip-plate 28, and the said crown gear-wheel is rotated sufficiently to'impart a partial revolution to the head of the switching-tool, and thereby throw the switch to the desired position. It' the switch is to be thrown to the left, the movement of the lever 2l is simply 'reversed, but the movement ofthe lever 32, controlling the downward stroke, is the same. It is evident that as soon as the lever 32 is released the spring 34 will act to carry the switch-rod and its attached tool upward to their normal positions.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a bar capable of a vern tical movement and a switch-rod held to revolve in the said bar, of a gearing attached to the rod and bar anda lever connected with the gearing, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination, with a shell, a bar capable of vertical movement in the shell, and a switch-rod capable of a rotary movement in the bar, of a trip-plate attached to the shell, a gear-connection between the sliding bar and rotary rod, and a lever connected with the gear of the sliding bar, as and for the purpose specified.'

3. Ina device of the characted described, the combination, with a shell, a bar held to slide in the shell and having a rack formed on one side and a switch-rod capable of rotary movement in the bar, of a gear-connection between the upper ends of the bar and rod, a spring-controlled pinion adapted for engagement with the rack-surface of the bar, a lever connected with the pinion,and a tripplate adapted for engagement with the upper r gear-connection, as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a shell, a bar held to slide in said shell,provided witha rack upon one face, and a switch-rod held to turn in,

the vbar and provided with a bevel-gear at its upper end, of a crown-wheel j ournaled upon the bar, a lever connected with the crownwheel, a gear-connection between the crownwheel and the bevel-gear of the switch-rod, and a spring-controlled pinion adapted for engagement with the rack of the sliding ba'r, as and for the purpose specified,

IIO

5. In a device of the character described,

the combination, with a shell, a rod held to slide in said shell, provided with a rack upon one face, a switch-bar held to turn in the rod, providedat its upper end with an attached bevel-gear, a crown-wheel journaled upon the bar, provided with pins in its upper face, a lever connected with the crown-wheel and a gear-connection between the crown-wheel and the bevel-gear of the switch-rod, of a tripplate secured to the shell and adapted to engage with the pins of the crown-wheel and a spring-controlled pinion engaging with the raok-surfaoe of the bar, as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a device of the oharaeted described, the combination, with a shell, a rod held to slide in the shell, provided with a rack upon one face, a switch-bar held to turn inthe rod, provided at its upper end with an attached bevel-gear, a orowmwheel journaled upon the bar, provided with pins in its upper face, a lever connected with the crown-Wheel, and a VVgear-connection between the crown-Wheel and 

